Parent Traps

BY MICHELE KAMBOLIS
In a city famous for tolerating pot consumption of all varieties, the number of incidents of children accidentally consuming THC is shocking. Parents who fail to keep their pot under lock and key have faced charges of child endangerment and lost custody of their children. With marijuana gaining a place in the treatment of serious ailments, we’re all well aware of its use for designated medical purposes. Add to that, the legalization ... Read More …

We religiously ensure the bedroom door is locked, count the minutes until the kids are asleep and keep the racier lingerie at the back of the drawer, but even the most prudent of parents can freeze at the incessant questioning of a child who has discovered something we just aren’t prepared to explain. In the latest Parent Traps letter a Mother contends with her embarrassment as she searches for answers to her sons recent uncovering.... Read More …

We all do our best to give our teens the room to take chances and learn from the natural consequences of life, but there comes a time when their risk taking is so worrisome it’s time to step in. Parenting the younger set makes it easy to put the brakes on dangerous behaviour, but when your offspring are stepping into adulthood setting limits becomes far more complicated. This parent wonders how far his legal rights ... Read More …

BY MICHELE KAMBOLIS
It’s no secret that kids today are being fed a steady diet of TV – with the latest numbers showing North American kids spending an average of 28 hours per week watching it. Parents can’t help wonder what the effects might be on their children and how to limit its influence. This week, a Mother battles a difference of opinion on how far reaching the problem might be, and finds the fall ... Read More …

BY MICHELE KAMBOLIS
Ask any parent and they will tell you endless, detailed stories of self doubt and guilt-ridden moments; these are a seemingly unavoidable emotional byproduct of parenting.
When logic kicks in, we remind ourselves that parenting is a process where perfection doesn’t apply. The fear of letting our kids down makes keeping guilt at bay challenging for most. A recent email from a Vancouver mom serves as a great example:
After years of ... Read More …

BY MICHELE KAMBOLIS
I’ve never seen a victimless divorce. It’s painful for everyone – but, no one suffers it’s effects more than children. While most parents do their very best to shield their children from the hurt, cooler heads don’t always prevail. A recent letter from a regretful Mom highlights how the good intentions of sharing the back story of divorce with kids, can lead to longstanding harm.
I’m hoping you can help me with ... Read More …

BY MICHELE KAMBOLIS
For kids, every day is a chance to take in the values around them and body image scenery is clearly at the forefront. With childhood obesity at an all time high, parents are tendering the balance between health and self-esteem. This week, a parent reaches out with her worries about her 9-year-old’s eating habits. However, her daughter’s response is a powerful message that the problem may be less about weight and more ... Read More …

BY MICHELE KAMBOLIS
As parents, we want our youngsters to make good choices, a skill that can only be developed through experience. That means giving our kids more freedom to make their own decisions as they approach maturity, and being prepared to respect their choices, even those we disagree with. But when their actions affect other family members’ comfort or safety, it’s time to intervene.
This week, a mother asks how she can step in ... Read More …

Recently a parent mailed in her concerns about pot use among teens – she felt quite strongly that pot use was completely off limits from her perpective. The vast majority of parents who responded agreed strongly with that point of view. One parent, however, shared a very different perspective:
LAST WEEK’S PARENT TRAP
I’ve recently come up against a sticky situation and while I’m usually a relatively confident parent, I’m just not certain as to ... Read More …

THIS WEEKS PARENT TRAP
I’ve recently come up against a sticky situation and while I’m usually a relatively confident parent, I’m just not certain as to whether I should stand by a recent parenting decision. My 16-year-old daughter had a few friends over several weekends ago – I like her friends and they’re comfortable at my home, consequently they spend a great deal of time with us and I feel I know them well. However, ... Read More …

THIS WEEK’S PARENT TRAP
As a divorced father of two children under eight, I’ve always ensured I don’t bring my dates home or involve them in my kids’ lives. But I’ve met someone, and the relationship seems serious. My kids have met my new girlfriend but I’ve always introduced her as a friend.
The problem is, my five-year-old son walked in on my girlfriend and I in an “intimate” moment, worse yet, in an unconventional ... Read More …

Snooping can be a temptation for even the most trusting of parents, especially those of teens. It’s a tricky question to answer with most parents struggling to find a balance between respecting their youth’s boundaries without compromising parenting responsibilities. What seems like a black and white question for teens isn’t quite so clear for adults trying to ensure their child’s safety. After all, we’re told having a solid presence in our teen’s life is important ... Read More …

After more than 15 years of counseling families I’ve heard everything imaginable — and I do mean everything. I thought it was time to give parents a forum to pull back the curtain and reveal their secret struggles, and to ask questions about the hairiest, scariest and stickiest pitfalls that so many of us grapple with. This is a chance to unburden your less than flattering parent moments, gain valuable feedback from other parents and ... Read More …